A promising new site called RomySensei aims to teach you more about the Japanese words you're learning. Romy Ellis is a Japanese teacher who realized that when she taught the basic etymology behind the words her students were learning, they learned faster and remembered them longer. So she started a new site to teach information that usually requires a teacher, native speaker, or extra online researching.
The site is still in its infancy, with only ten words at the end of October, but it has a simple design and I could see it becoming a very useful resource with more time and attention. Each entry (so far) is for a word that has a bit more to it than meets the eye. The example above, 教育ママ, is one that almost all exchange students have heard, but may not come up in an American classroom setting. She goes into the meaning, the background, kanji, and usage with her own example sentences and English translations. Kanji details link straight to popular J-E dictionary Jisho.org and furigana for everything on the site can be toggled on or off easily in the top righthand corner.
She also has a newsletter to notify you when new words are added and probably to help her improve as time goes on.
I really like this idea and the simplicity of this resource. I think with time it could become extremely valuable to self-learners who don't have access to native Japanese speakers or teachers, so please give Romy-sensei your support!